Report: Chiefs among teams talking to Seahawks about trade for DE Frank Clark

The Kansas City Chiefs could be maneuvering themselves into a draft-day trade.

A report today from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport links the Chiefs to the Seahawks as a potential trade partner for defensive end Frank Clark. Clark is the Seahawks’ franchise-tag player, and after signing Russell Wilson to a massive extension, it’s clear they don’t have the funds to keep Clark. Typically that’s a situation that reduces leverage for a team, but it appears competition is driving the market.

Given Brett Veach’s aggressive nature when it comes to trades, the Chiefs’ involvement doesn’t come as much of a surprise. It’s just not clear how high their level of interest is.

Clark is a young and talented player that fits their new defensive scheme. However, the Chiefs will likely need to sign him to a long-term contract extension that could exceed $18 million per season.

If the Chiefs want him, it’s likely going to cost them at least the No. 29 pick in this week’s draft simply because of the other teams reportedly involved. The Colts and the Jets both have significantly higher second-round selections that they can use in a trade.

Even if the Chiefs only need pick No. 29, they’ll come under harsh criticism. They were only able to get a 2020 second-round pick for their own former franchise edge rusher, Dee Ford. If they have to package multiple picks to acquire Clark, the optics wouldn’t be great.

Most importantly, the Chiefs need to do their homework with Clark. He was dismissed from the University of Michigan in 2014 after being arrested over allegations of domestic violence. Given the recent off-field situations surrounding Kareem Hunt and now Tyreek Hill, Veach needs to be very sure about a player’s character before adding him to the team.

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